LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 3A -
RESEARCH
Quitting smoking
lassens chance
of baby with SIDS
e use of counseling to lessen
smo king among pregnant women
cdild decrease the number of Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome fatalities by
10 ases, according to a recent study
by the School of Public Health.
'Assistant health management and*
policy Prof. Harold Pollack and his
team found this cost effective method
a Successful way to decrease the num-
ber of deaths, which total 3,000 per
ye 700 of which are smoking-relat-
e®
Using birth certificate data from
the Perinatal Mortality Files of over
2.9 million infants, Pollack examined
the incidence of SIDS in infants born
in the United States during 1995. He
alsg ioted if the mother smoked dur-
ing pregnancy.
He confirmed that smoking dou-
bled the risk of SIDS death, which
h#he highest mortality rate in the
heaviest smokers.
Edstasy leads to
loss of memory
.The designer drug ecstasy
(MLYMA) causes memory loss and
impairment in long term users,
according to a study published in the
American Academy of Neurology
journal.
*e study, co-authored by Univer-
sity of Toronto Prof. Konstantine
Zal zanis, tested 15 ecstasy users
between the ages of 17 and 31 over a
year'long period, while taking the
drug an average of 2.4 times a month.
I y testing measures of sensitivity to
intelligence and memory functioning,
the researchers observed a decrease in
test scores or no change, but did not
s p increase in any score.
,hey concluded ecstasy affects
mapy aspects of memory, including
retropective memory, because of its
effect on the hippocampus, the area
of the brain associated with learning
and maintaining new memories.
RVsearchers grow
human tissue
fpm fat cells
hough the isolation of fat,
researchers at the University of Cali-
fornia and the University of Pitts-
burgh have found a way to grow
human tissues, including bone, mus-
cle and cartilage, from stem cells.
,P-rpviously, scientists used stem
ceifs found in bone marrow, brain and
fetal tissue, but fat tissue is much
me plentiful and will allow for
accelerated development of tissue
syhthesis, including the elimination
of scarring.
Stem cells contribute to the body's
ablikty to renew and repair its tissues
Sina variety of environments and are
used to treat leukemia and joint
repairs.
Change in habits
j lps insomniacs
ther than medication, Duke Uni-
versit researchers suggest a change in
a '.oiT's'attitude and habits towards
s e rpimg to treat insomnia, which
ar lits nearly 5 percent of Americans.
:it treatment, called cognitive
behavioral therapy, combines a
cliange in beliefs about sleeps with an
educational aspect to teach people
h to apply new habits to their
sl ing. Suggestions include getting
out of the bed at the same time every-
d y. d the elimination of naps.
Sstudy involved 75 suffers of
ch r'Uic primary sleep insomnia, who
received three different types of ther-
apy, Each therapy group either
received cognitive behavioral therapy,
relaxation training or placebo therapy
for.six weeks. They first group saw a
54 percent reduction in their wake
ti , compared to a 16 percent
de ase in the participants receiving
relaxation training and 12 percent
decrease for the placebo group.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Lisa Hoffman.
DAVID KATZ/Daily
LSA junior Joseph Lambert, crew chief of the University's solar car team, yesterday cleans the underside of the 2001 model "M-Pulse," which
team members hope to race in two competitions this summer. The team won the American Solar Car Challenge in 1990 and 1993.
Solar car team unveils newest
cometiionmodel: 'M-Pulse'
Ann Arbor
man charged
in hit -and-mnb
39-year-old accused of killing EMU
student with pickup truck last October..
YPSILANTI (AP) - An Ann Arbor man was arrest-
ed and charged yesterday in the October 2000 hit-and-
run death of an Eastern Michigan University student. -
Police arrested Jimmy D. James, 39, in the drivews'
of his home, said Detective Sgt. Craig Annas of the
Ypsilanti police.
James was arraigned on two counts of failing to stop
at the scene of a serious injury accident, a five-year,
felony, and one count each of negligent homicide and
felonious driving, both two-year felonies.
District Court Magistrate Thomas Truesdell ordered
James held on a $200,000 bond.
James is charged in the death of Brenda Hugg, 1'9,
who was struck and killed while crossing an Ypsilanti
street.
Another Eastern Michigan student, 19-year-old Laura
Russell, was seriously injured.
The pickup truck believed to have been involved'in;
the accident was located in January on a street in
Detroit, where it had been buried in snow for weeks.
The owner of the 1993 Ford Ranger came forward"
shortly after the accident, but said she had loaned it to'
a man she knew only by a nickname.
AOrtion ights
grOUp agees to
settle with state
LANSING (AP) - Michigan has reached a partial settle-
ment with an abortion rights group that sued over the state's
24-hour waiting period and accused it of illegally banning
the abortion drug RU-486.
The Department of Community Health said yesterday that
it will include information on RU-486 in the materials that
women are required to read 24 hours before they have an
abortion.
The department and the New York-based Center for
Reproductive Law and Policy remain in settlement talks over
Michigan's ban on charging women for blood tests or any
other non-abortion services conducted before the end of the
24-hour waiting period.
The center also said that the state effectively banned RU-
486, which was federally approved last year, when it didn't
mention the drug in the materials women must read before
an abortion.
The center said that under state law, an abortion procedure
couldn't be performed if it wasn't discussed in the state pam-
phlet.
By Courtney Crimmins
Daily Staff Reporter
"Go fast, go smooth, go blue."
These were the words of inspiration
imparted yesterday to the University's solar
car team by Bob Culver, executive director of
United States Council for Automotive
Research.
The sixth generation of the University's
solar car team yesterday unveiled its newest
model, "M-Pulse," which it hopes will win a
pair of solar car races this summer.
The team will compete in the qualifying
races in Topeka, Kan., and then in the Amer-
ican Solar Car Challenge and the World
Solar Challenge. The American Solar Chal-
lenge is a 2,200-mile race from Chicago to
Los Angeles. The World Solar Challenge is a
shorter race, an 1,800-mile journey across
the Australian continent from Darwin to
Adelaide.
The 2001 team's effort "started right on the
heels of the '99 project with several members
sticking around," said Rackham student
Nader Schwayhat, the team captain and race
manager.
The M-Pulse solar car "is a showcase of
technology and its possibilities; some new
cars (in the commercial market) are begin-
ning to use solar cells to keep cars cool in
summer," Schwayhat said.
Brian Gilchrist, an associate professor of
electrical engineering and space sciences and
the team's faculty adviser, said the team is a
"real world experience for our University of
Michigan students."
"It isn't about the technology, it is about the
team and the kids who work with budgets,
time constraints and innovations," said Cul-
ver, a longtime employee of the Ford Motor
Co.
The reputation of the University's solar car
team has made it possible for many former
members of the team to be recruited byauto-
motive corporations.
"We've hired former team members and
they've hit the ground running," Culver said.
The organization gives participants real-life
experience with design, funding and mechan-
ics as well as knowledge about working as a
team.
"I work closely with the sponsors to ensure
they get everything out of the investment,"
said Schwayhat, who is interested in the busi-
ness and entrepreneurial side of the team.
All members of the team give up much of
their time to be a part of the organization.
Those who wish to drive the vehicle must
undergo extensive testing.
"Drivers have to try out and are selected
from rigorous trials where they get a feel for
how the cars handle," Schwayhat said.
He added that those members who wish to
travel with the team also have to endure a rig-
orous interview process.
The team members are a group diverse in
their engineering interests and ages. Opera-
tions leader Kim Lytle said she became
involved with the team through a friend.
"My friend wanted me to get involved, but
she didn't like it and I did, so I stuck around. I
was in LSA and I transferred to Engineering,"
said Lytle, a sophomore.
Frank Fetters, an Engineering sophomore
who is in charge of the home operations team,
said he became involved with the solar car
team because "it is the largest student organi-
zation and the most renowned:"
The team has twice been the champion of
the American Solar Car Challenge, once in
1990 and again in 1993. This year they hope
to emerge victorious again as they have had
added lots of new technology and "upped the
ante," said LSA senior Joseph Lambert, the
car's crew chief.
"The winners of the '99 Australia race -
they'll have a real shock when they see this
baby," said Chuck Hudgens, a University
alum.
Ann Arbor to get
one of state's 11
new SmartZones
DETROIT (AP) - The Michigan
Economic Development Corp. wants to
help the state shed its image as strictly a
manufacturing hub and attract attention
to its growing technology centers.
To that end is the creation of nearly a
dozen SmartZones, clusters of high-tech
businesses, research institutions and
training facilities throughout Michigan
that are being marketed to lure outstate
investment with tax incentives and other
assistance.
"We felt Michigan needed to do
something dramatic to showcase the tal-
ent we have," said Doug Rothwell, presi-
dent and CEO of the Economic
Development Corp. "There's no Silicon
Valley in Michigan where you can go to
an area with a cluster of high-tech com-
panies. We want to recreate that in
Michigan but make it statewide."
The SmartZones were announced yes-
terday and will be housed in Battle
Creek, Lansing, Mount Pleasant, Kala-
mazoo, Grand Rapids, Muskegon,
Houghton, Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti and
three Detroit-area locations. Each area
aims to build on its specific strengths,
such as aviation and aerospace research
in Battle Creek and information technol-
ogy advances in Ann Arbor and Ypsilan-
ti.
SmartZones located in cities may use
property and school taxes for up to 15
years to purchase property and build
infrastructure and research parks.
Additionally, SmartZones in cities are
eligible to tap into the Core Community
Fund, a $50 million pot set aside by the
state Legislature to help businesses get
started.
Areas such as Oakland County's
Automation Alley - a collaboration of
technology companies - get the Smart-
Zone designation but aren't eligible for
the tax incentive because they are spread
throughout the county rather than cen-
tered in a downtown. But it will get the
benefit of MEDC marketing efforts.
Rothwell expects some SmartZones
to begin construction by this summer.
But the state's efforts to draw and pro-
mote businesses aren't receiving praise
from everyone.
The Mackinac Center for Public Poli-
cy, a research and education organiza-
tion, thinks the state dollars could be
more wisely used on roads, schools or
other projects to benefit all residents,
according to center policy analyst Mike
LaFaive.
"This is the state picking regions to
bestow advantages on at the expense of
other regions," LaFaive said. "The entire
state should be a SmartZone, not just 11
lucky regions."
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Participate in a research study involving
reading some material and responding with
your opinions, thoughts and feelings about
various products and issues.
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Orection:
® An article on Page 1 of yesterday's Daily should have said that the episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on
which Kevin Olmstead won $2.18 million was taped March 21, not last week.
* An article on Page 1 of Tuesday's Daily should have said that the University's power plant bums natural gas as its pri-
r source of heat for campus buildings.
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You will need to attend two sessions, one
week apart. The first session will be on
Saturday, the 14th of April and the
second session will be on Saturday, the 21 st
of Apr il.
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